Oscar-winning actor Jean Dujardin chooses Jaeger-LeCoultre

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French actor Jean Dujardin received an Oscar last night as Best Actor for his role in the film “The Artist” at the 84th Annual Academy Awards.

On this memorable occasion he chose to wear a Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox Tribute to Deep Sea watch.

Memovox Tribute to Deep Sea is a reedition of the world’s first diver’s watch equipped with an alarm function.This iconic diver’s timepiece became a legend of which only a rare few collectors were able to glimpse the reality.The Memovox Tribute to Deep Sea on the wrist of Jean Dujardin is a limited edition of 959 pieces.

Cartier sparkle in their own Polo Challenge

Cartier International Dubai Polo Challenge Final 2012
Desert Palm Retreat and Polo Club February 24 February

For the first time the Cartier team are the proud winners of their own Cartier International Dubai Polo Challenge, held under the patronage of HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, In a thrilling match at Desert Palm, the Cartier team narrowly defeated the current holders of the impressive trophy, Desert Palm, 10-9.

Earlier in the match it had looked as if Cartier were going to win easily as they were leading 10-3 at the end of the third chukka. However the dynamic of the game changed in the fourth and final chukka with Desert Palm scoring six goals to none in reply from Cartier. Martin Valent, captain of the Desert Palm team, was ferocious in attack in this period, seemingly scoring goal after goal. Appropriately though, time was on the side of Cartier and the final bell rang before Desert Palm could level the score.

As the event’s patron, HRH Princess Haya, was unable to attend the final day of polo, HH Sheikh Mansour Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum presented the prizes, accompanied by Cartier guest Charlotte Casiraghi , Bernard Fornas, Chief Executive of Cartier and Louis Ferla, Managing Director of Cartier Dubai.

Adriano Agosti stepped forward to receive the trophy and then watched as his team-mate, Mohammed Bin Drai, was named Most Valuable Player. He was presented with a pair of polo boots and kneepads by La Martina. Cartier’s Juan Jose Brane received a La Martina saddle for the Best Playing Pony from Charlotte Casiraghi. The pony, Sybarita, is owned by Saeed Bin Drai and was played by Brane in the final chukka. After the main presentations HH Sheikh Mansour and Ali Albwardy presented a cheque to Satish Seemar, Director of the Riding for the Disabled Association of Dubai which is based at Desert Palm.

Four pro-am polo teams have been playing all week at Desert Palm in the 7th Cartier International Dubai Polo Challenge. The two teams that did not make it to the final had the opportunity to play for the Desert Palm Trophy on the same afternoon. This went to Julius Baer, who defeated CNN 8-6. The Swiss bank is in its third year of team sponsorship and so was delighted to register its first win at the event.

A unique feature of the Cartier International Dubai Polo Challenge is that both matches start thanks to a ball being thrown in from the back seat of a Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet. Porsche Centre Dubai is the official car supplier and are happy to provide a car for this event. With more than 400-invitation only guests enjoying some great polo and sumptuous hospitality courtesy of the team at Desert Palm Resort, this year’s event really was one to remember.

CARTIER INTERNATIONAL DUBAI POLO CHALLENGE

Team Cartier: Adriano Agosti (CH) 0; Mohammed Bin Drai (UAE) -1; Francisco Elizalde(ARG) 6; Juan Jose Brane (ARG) 7.
Team Desert Palm: Tariq Albwardy (UAE) 1; Faris Al Yabhouni (UAE) 0; Martin Valent (ARG) 5; Alfredo Capella (ARG) 6

DESERT PALM TROPHY

Team Julius Baer: Amr Zedan (KSA) 0; Saad Audeh (UAE) 0; Pancho Marin Moreno (ARG) 6; Rodolfo Ducos (ARG) 5.
Team CNN: Gary Shepherd (UK) -1; Kassem Shafi (PK) 0; Vieri Antinori (ARG) 6; Hissam Ali Hyder (PK) 6.

Tokyo Marathon 2012 kicks off to a good start with giant balloons in five colors adorning the sky

Giant balloons in five colors went up to the sky on February 26(Japan time) at the starting point of  Tokyo Marathon 2012. As one of the largest marathons in Asia and now in its sixth year, Tokyo Marathon rivals the world marathon majors held in London, New York City, Chicago, Boston, and Berlin. 

Last year, the massive earthquake and tsunami shook Eastern Japan only 12 days after Tokyo Marathon 2011, throwing Tokyo and the entire nation into deep sorrow and despair. Now, the reconstruction efforts are underway at a remarkable speed, which owes much to the well-wishes, prayers and assistance from around the world combined with the innate optimism of the Japanese people.
People here awaited this year's Tokyo Marathon with great enthusiasm.
 Tokyo Marathon has steadily grown in popularity over the years. Its office received a record-number of applications for this year's marathon, and the race for the much-coveted slots in the general runner category was very intense -- only one out of 9.6 people who applied for the general runners' category obtained the privilege of enjoying the city by zipping through its main streets and landmarks. A new trend was a 2.4-fold jump from the last year in the number of charity runners who donate 100 thousand yen or more – the well-wishers who wanted to run the race to cheer and aid the quake and tsunami-affected people. Conscious efforts to re-energize and uplift the country through sports events are undoubtedly on the rise nationwide after the quake, as evidenced by the launch of city marathons by other major Japanese cities including Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto and Nagoya. 

The giant balloons in five colors that adorned Tokyo's sky today were the embodiment of the people's belief in the power of sports and their desire to host world-class sports games in Tokyo in 2020 in order to triumph over the difficult times.

Race results are as follows: Michael Kipyego of Kenya won the race (2:7:38), Second place went to Arata Fujiwara of Japan, who had a respectable time of 2:7:48: Japan's seventh fastest marathon record to become the first Japanese to break the 2:08:00 mark in five years. The former world-record holder Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia finished fourth, while Yuki Kawauchi, a full-time municipal government employee and citizen runner who was closest to reach the top league, was ranked fourteenth. The Tokyo Marathon 2012, one of Asia's largest marathon races was a great success, attracting a total of 36,407 runners from all over the world.  

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid Feb 2012

Some eye-popping creations by Andrés Sardá